diff --git a/meta/classes-global/package.bbclass b/meta/classes-global/package.bbclass
index e21350a06f..4ead147cd3 100644
--- a/meta/classes-global/package.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-global/package.bbclass
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ EXPORT_FUNCTIONS package_name_hook
 
 PKGDESTWORK = "${WORKDIR}/pkgdata"
 
-PKGDATA_VARS = "PN PE PV PR PKGE PKGV PKGR LICENSE DESCRIPTION SUMMARY RDEPENDS RPROVIDES RRECOMMENDS RSUGGESTS RREPLACES RCONFLICTS SECTION PKG ALLOW_EMPTY FILES CONFFILES FILES_INFO PACKAGE_ADD_METADATA pkg_postinst pkg_postrm pkg_preinst pkg_prerm"
+PKGDATA_VARS = "PN PE PV PR PKGE PKGV PKGR LICENSE DESCRIPTION SUMMARY RDEPENDS RPROVIDES RRECOMMENDS RSUGGESTS RREPLACES RCONFLICTS SECTION PKG ALLOW_EMPTY FILES CONFFILES FILES_INFO PACKAGE_ADD_METADATA PACKAGE_BASENAME pkg_postinst pkg_postrm pkg_preinst pkg_prerm"
 
 python emit_pkgdata() {
     import oe.packagedata
diff --git a/scripts/oe-pkgdata-util b/scripts/oe-pkgdata-util
index acefae24f3..466086f009 100755
--- a/scripts/oe-pkgdata-util
+++ b/scripts/oe-pkgdata-util
@@ -86,11 +86,16 @@ def glob(args):
                 return os.path.join(args.pkgdata_dir, "runtime", pkgn)
             def readpn(pkgdata_file):
                 pn = ""
+                basename = ""
                 with open(pkgdata_file, 'r') as f:
                     for line in f:
                         if line.startswith("PN:"):
                             pn = line.split(': ')[1].rstrip()
-                return pn
+                        elif line.startswith("PACKAGE_BASENAME:"):
+                            basename = line.split(': ')[1].rstrip()
+                # PACKAGE_BASENAME lets a recipe (e.g. via kernel.bbclass's
+                # KERNEL_PACKAGE_NAME) name its sub-packages differently from PN
+                return basename or pn
             def readrenamed(pkgdata_file):
                 renamed = ""
                 pn = os.path.basename(pkgdata_file)